CVE-2026-14281 Automation Web Platform <= 4.8.6 - Unauthenticated Privilege Escalation via 'wawp_custom_fields' Parameter
Unauthenticated attackers can escalate privileges to administrator by injecting custom fields during registration, bypassing OTP verification.
- Exploited in the wild
- Not known
- Login needed
- Not needed
- Attackable
- Over the internet
- Victim action needed
- Not needed
- Fix
- None listed
What is CVE-2026-14281?
CVE-2026-14281 is a critical vulnerability in 101gen Automation Web Platform – Notifications and OTP for WooCommerce, Advanced Country Code, published on 25 Sep 2026. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.
Official description
The Automation Web Platform – Notifications and OTP for WooCommerce, Advanced Country Code plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Privilege Escalation in all versions up to, and including, 4.8.6. This is due to missing permission enforcement on the publicly accessible REST route `POST /wp-json/wawp/v1/signup/<op>` and the absence of a key allowlist in the `finish_registration_logic` function, which copies the attacker-controlled `wawp_custom_fields` parameter directly into `update_user_meta()` — allowing sensitive meta keys such as `wp_capabilities` and `wp_user_level` to be set by the caller. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to register a new account with the administrator role and gain full administrative access to the site. When OTP verification is enabled at signup, the OTP session token (`otp_transient`) is returned in plaintext in the HTTP response body, and the `handle_magic_link_request()` handler marks that token as verified on any unauthenticated GET request containing it without ever checking the OTP code value — making the OTP step trivially bypassable with no inbox or SMS access required.
Weakness: CWE-269
Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-14281?
How do I fix CVE-2026-14281?
No fix has been published for CVE-2026-14281 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.
Is CVE-2026-14281 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-14281 in the wild and no public exploit code.
Public exploit code: 3 proofs of concept on GitHub.
Sources
Also known as GHSA-h3w5-2jvm-gf7p.